President Joe Biden touted his Supreme Court nominee and urged Congress to prioritize voting reforms during this year’s first in-person Black History Month event at the White House.
Biden hailed Ketanji Brown Jackson, a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judge, as an “outstanding” jurist, despite top supporter House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn endorsing South Carolina-based U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs instead.
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“There were so many others I had to choose from,” Biden said Monday, specifically mentioning Clyburn.
While Biden is likely to confirm the nation’s first black female Supreme Court justice, he expressed optimism regarding “our chances to bring equity to this country,” despite claiming Republicans are trying to prevent black votes “from even counting.”
“We call on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, pass the Freedom to Vote Act. We can do this. The American people agree with us: black and white, Hispanic and all,” he said of efforts that do not currently have the backing to overcome the Senate’s filibuster rules.
Biden also underscored his “landmark” $5.8 billion investment in historically black colleges and universities when promising his Justice Department would look into bomb threats made against some institutions this month.
“I want you to know we are ready to closely investigate the cowardly un-American bomb threats against HBCUs,” he said.
As Biden walked out of the White House East Room, he told reporters the public should not be concerned about nuclear war with Russia as President Vladimir Putin’s forces close in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. During his remarks, he had mistakenly referred to Russia as the Soviet Union before repeating his belief Putin’s intention is “basically” to reestablish the socialist bloc.
“No,” he said in response to a shouted question.
The president, who accidentally called U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield “Linda Greenhouse,” was not the only member of his family to slip up during a speech. First lady Jill Biden had to correct herself after almost introducing Vice President Kamala Harris as the commander in chief.
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“I just said that to make you laugh,” she quipped.
